Resveratrol, also referred to as 3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene, is a polyhydroxy-substituted compound having the general formula:

It is present in red grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and certain other plant berries or extracts. It is known that resveratrol is a potent anti-oxidant and has other anti-aging, anti-cancer, and antiviral effects. Because of its perceived fountain-of-youth properties, resveratrol has been incorporated into a variety of cosmetic formulations, such as skin creams. However, because resveratrol is somewhat unstable it readily discolors. In addition, it is most desirable to react resveratrol with other compounds to create resveratrol derivatives in order to maximize its effectiveness for properties such as stability, activity, and beneficial effects on skin.
Alpha hydroxy acids or AHA's are known for their effectiveness in treating skin. The carboxylic acid groups on the compounds aid in skin exfoliation to remove dead skin cells and debris from skin surfaces. It is also said that AHA's reduce the appearance of age-related skin changes such as lines, wrinkles, age spots, mottling, yellowing, and skin laxity. However, AHA's can also cause skin irritation, redness, or dryness in individuals with overly sensitive skin.
Particularly effective AHAs are glycolic and tartaric acids. Glycolic acid has the following formula:

And tartaric acid the following formula:

Esterifying resveratrol with glycolic or tartaric acids provides a resveratrol derivative that may be a mono-, di-, or tri-substituted ester on the hydroxyl group to form resveratrol mono-, di- or triglycolate or mixtures thereof, or resveratrol mono-, di-, or tritartrate or mixtures thereof, respectively. Such derivatives can be incorporated into cosmetic compositions to provide beneficial effects such as stimulating collagen or fibrillin synthesis, exfoliating skin, whitening skin, treating acne or other skin lesions, and inhibiting matrix metalloproteinases that degrade collagen.